PowerStore: PowerStore Drive Firmware Upgrades and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

(Updated: 2025-Sep-15)
 

• What versions of PowerStoreOS are compatible with the Drive Firmware Upgrade?

Table 1: PowerStore Drive Firmware Upgrade - PowerStoreOS - Compatibility

• I updated my system with PowerStore Drive Firmware upgrade on PowerStoreOS v4.1 and my node rebooted, what should I do?

Please see KB 000361501 - PowerStore: Drive firmware upgrade on 4.1 may lead to an unexpected node reboot for a full description and troubleshooting steps. (Workaround Brief: apply drive firmware (DFW) 3.x/4.0 prior to non-disruptive upgrade (NDU) to 4.1/4.2)

• Is the drive firmware upgrade PowerStore-disk_firmware-4.0.0.0-2299541-retail.tgz.bin compatible with the newly released PowerStoreOS v4.1.0.0?

No, due to underlying code changes, PowerStore-disk_firmware-4.0.0.0-2299541-retail.tgz.bin is not compatible with PowerStoreOS v4.1.0.0. If this operation is attempted, the following error is seen:

• When is the new drive firmware upgrade available (PowerStore-disk_firmware-4.1.0.0-2435323-retail.tgz.bin) for download?

The release date of the PowerStore disk firmware 4.1.0.0-2435323 firmware package is 2025-Feb-28.

• Is the drive firmware upgrade PowerStore-disk_firmware-4.1.0.0-2435323-retail.tgz.bin compatible with PowerStoreOS v4.0.0.0?

No, due to underlying code changes, PowerStore-disk_firmware-4.1.0.0-2435323-retail.tgz.bin is not compatible with PowerStoreOS v4.0.0.0. If this operation is attempted, the pre-upgrade health check fails within a few minutes of attempting the upgrade. During the attempted upgrade, the administrator sees:

And:

• Is the drive firmware upgrade PowerStore-disk_firmware-4.1.0.0-2435323-retail.tgz.bin compatible with any versions of PowerStoreOS before PowerStoreOS 4.1.0.0?

No, any attempt to upgrade the drive firmware using the PowerStore-disk_firmware-4.1.0.0-2435323-retail.tgz.bin drive firmware results in the pre-upgrade health check errors listed above.

• Is there a drive firmware package for PowerStoreOS v4.0.x.x?

Yes, the PowerStore-disk_firmware-4.0.0.0-2299541-retail.tgz.bin is compatible with PowerStoreOS v4.0. (Released on 2024-Jul-18)

• Why apply drive firmware to my cluster?

In general, the drive firmware upgrade improves the security and reliability of the drives. See the release notes of the PowerStore Drive Firmware Package for fixes by drive part number.

• Should the PowerStore Drive Firmware Upgrade be run before or after a PowerStoreOS firmware upgrade?

Dell suggests installing the drive firmware package after the PowerStoreOS package.

• Does the PowerStore Drive Firmware Upgrade require a reboot?

The Drive Firmware Upgrade does not require a reboot of the node, appliance, or cluster.

• How to find the PowerStore Drive Firmware Upgrade package?

Use the following steps to download the drive firmware package:

• Go to Dell Support 
• Log in to your business account
• Select Support
• Select Support Home
• Enter your service tag into the product identifier and search
• Under Drivers & Downloads > go to the disk firmware or search with the keyword Firmware
  • Direct Link: PowerStore-disk_firmware-4.0.0.0-2299541-retail.tgz.bin (Requires Login as a registered Dell Support user).
  • Direct Link: PowerStore-disk_firmware-4.1.0.0-2435323-retail.tgz.bin (Requires Login as a registered Dell Support user).

• How to find the PowerStore Drive Firmware Upgrade release notes?

Use the following steps to download the release notes:

• Go to Dell Support 
• Log in to your business account
• Select Support > Support Home
• Enter your service tag into the product identifier and search
• Under Documentation > Manuals and Documents, look for PowerStore Drive Firmware Upgrade 4.0.0.0 Release Notes
  • Direct Link: Dell PowerStore Drive Firmware Upgrade 4.0.0.0 Release Notes (Requires Login as a registered Dell Support user).
  • Direct Link: Dell PowerStore Drive Firmware Upgrade 4.1.0.0 Release Notes  (Requires Login as a registered Dell Support user).

• Why use the "Disable Support Notifications" (Maintenance Window) feature during the PowerStore Drive Firmware Upgrade?

Yes, Dell suggests enabling the maintenance window feature during the drive upgrade. A maintenance window can prevent an unnecessary alert going to Dell remote support. Dell suggests picking a period of time that is longer than the drive firmware upgrade is expected to take.

By default, the PowerStore Drive Firmware Upgrade automatically enables a maintenance window of 8 hours. The default maintenance window is set internally and is not reflected in the PowerStore User Interface (UI). To estimate how long the drive firmware upgrade may take, see below.

If errors persist beyond the upgrade (see below), reach out to Dell Support.

• How to set a maintenance window of greater than 8 hours?

If the user believes that the drive firmware upgrade takes longer than 8 hours, the user can set a maintenance window in the UI.

In the PowerStore UI:

• Go to Settings > Support > Disable Support Notifications
• Select the checkbox next to all appliances.
• Select MODIFY
• Check Enable Maintenance Mode and select a maintenance window longer than the expected upgrade time

When the upgrade finishes, the user should manually end the maintenance mode.

• How long does the PowerStore Drive Firmware Upgrade take?

Drive firmware upgrades take a variable amount of time. Upgrade times depend on I/O Activity, types of drives, number of drives, and layout of the RAID resiliency set. The drives must upgrade serially to maintain high availability.

Internal testing has seen the drive firmware upgrades take as little as 30 minutes with an idle, minimally configured PowerStore. A fully populated single PowerStore appliance with no external enclosures running with high I/O activity can take up to 10 hours to complete.

• Does the Drive Firmware package name with build number indicate the order of installation when updating the PowerStoreOS and the PowerStore Drive Firmware?

No, the version nomenclature indicates when the software was built, not the install order of files. See the release notes for specific compatibility.

• Are there release notes for the PowerStore Drive Firmware Upgrade?

Yes, the newest version of the release notes should be located on your product support page.

• The Drive firmware upgrade ran and took under five minutes. It states that the Drive firmware upgrade ran successfully. Is there reason for concern?

The drive firmware does not upgrade drives (by design) on PowerStoreOS v.3.0.x and 3.2.0.x. The upgrade utility prepares for a drive firmware upgrade, then checks the PowerStoreOS version and exits.

The process of unpacking and running the software is successful but no firmware is upgraded. You have to upgrade PowerStoreOS to a version that supports the upgrade and try again.

See the release notes for details.

• Why is the drive firmware upgrade taking a long time?

Many factors go into the time that it takes to upgrade the firmware of a drive. These factors can include: The number of drives in the RAID resiliency set, single or dual parity, rebuild priority, drive performance, and especially I/O activity during the drive firmware upgrade. Intensive I/O during an online drive firmware upgrade can prolong the normal activity of the rapid reconstruction process.

• The drive firmware upgrade has already run. A drive is replaced in the PowerStore appliance. Should the drive firmware upgrade be rerun?

Replacement drives coming from parts depots may or may be running the newest version of drive firmware. It is recommended to rerun the drive firmware upgrade after replacing any drives in the system. This ensures that the newest version of drive firmware code is loaded on the replacement drive.

• Where to check in the PowerStore User Interface (UI) to check my drive firmware version?

• Alerts were seen during the PowerStore drive firmware upgrade, is there reason for concern?

• In the PowerStore UI, drives are located in Hardware > Appliance > Components > Drives.
• 0x00201201 - Severity Critical Write cache is degraded. An NVRAM device has been removed or is offline
• 0x00307203 - Severity: Major Firmware version of the drive in bus x enclosure x is incompatible
• 0x00307204 - Severity: Minor Firmware version of the drive in bus x enclosure x slot xx is out-of-date.
• 0x00307104 - Severity: Major Drive in bus x enclosure x slot xx has been removed.
• 0x00307108 - Severity: Minor Drive in bus x enclosure x slot xx needs reset after the drive firmware upgrade.

• Does the drive firmware upgrade all applicable drives on the PowerStore Cluster?

• What version of the drive firmware do the drives upgrade to?

• What does this drive firmware upgrade do?

• Does this drive firmware upgrade my drive to Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) compliant?

• Should the older PowerStore-disk_firmware-2.1.0.0-1519794 drive upgrade package be applied?